1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facility utilization measurement apparatus, a facility utilization measurement system, and a facility utilization measurement method in which utilization of a facility by a user is measured based on an image which is obtained by capturing the inside of the facility.
2. Description of the Related Art
A monitoring system in which a camera capturing the inside of a store is installed and a situation in the store is monitored by using an image of the camera has been widely used in an eating place such as a restaurant and a tea house. However, if utilization of the store is understood by using the image of the camera, for example, if a seat occupancy ratio indicating how many seats there are which is provided in the store occupied is understood, it is possible to consider improvement plans and the like for efficiently operating the store such as a change of a layout of the store, based on the understood seat occupancy ratio. In addition, there is an advantage in that improvement of profitability or sales of the store is achieved.
As a technology associated with such understanding of utilization of the store based on an image, a technology in which a person being seated and a person leaving a seat are determined based on an image and thus a seat occupancy ratio is measured based on the determination result has been known in the related art (see Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2003-256843). In this technology, a movement line of a customer which comes to the store is detected, and a person being seated and a person leaving a seat are determined based on the detected movement line.
In the technology of the related art, it is determined whether a person is seated or leaves a seat, based on the movement line. However, in a process based on such a movement line, erroneous determination that it is determined to leave a seat even though a state of being seated is maintained, or conversely, that it is determined to be seated even though there is in a state of leaving a seat significantly occurs when the movement line is incompletely detected, or when the movement line is confused with a person who passes by a seat, and thus detection of the person and the movement line are switched. In addition, many errors occur in understanding of utilization of the store, and thus reliability is lack in examination of improvement plans for operating the store.